Chain of Events
August 2, 2017

Register now for the TBN picnic

It's not too late to register now for our summer picnic, a barbecue lunch at beautiful Toogood Pond in Markham on Sunday August 13.

You can ride to the picnic from a number of different start points, and then meet your TBN friends at the barbecue. The picnic is free, but we ask you to register ahead of time so we know how much food to buy. Check the website for more details.

Ride to Marinoni magic

Come out for a special Saturday Cruising Short on August 19, combining a country ride with a chance to watch cycling legend Guiseppe Marinoni try to set a new one-hour distance record for the 80+ age group at the Milton Velodrome. You have options for rides of 66km or 85km, and you will also need to book tickets for Marinoni's record attempt. Check out the TBN website for details of the ride, and visit eventbrite to reserve your free tickets for the Velodrome.

Marinoni, who built the bikes that bear his name, rode 35.728km in an hour in 2012 when he set a new record for the 75-79 age category. That's just shy of the current record for the 80+ age group, which stands at 35.772km.

More info about the Marinoni event will be posted on the TBN website over the next week or two.

Getting out of town

There's still a few spaces on our fall camping weekend in Awenda Provincial Park, with a chance to enjoy two days of cycling along glorious Georgian Bay. Check the website for more details of the event, which takes place on Sept 15-17.

This trip is filling up fast, but at the time of writing, there was still room for a few people on our Oct 13-15hiking trip to the Bruce Peninsula. We'll stay in the tiny Fitz Hostel, near Lion's Head, and set out from there to enjoy hikes through the fall colours. Check the website to register.

Contact Jeannie at weekendtrips@tbn.ca if you have any suggestions for a trip or if you wish to lead one. Trip leaders have their fees paid by TBN.

Niagara GO Home

Two more special rides coming up are the annual Toronto-Niagara-GO Home rides: Tourists on August 19 and Urban Rollers on August 26. Ride to Niagara Falls, enjoy a great view of The Falls, dine to your hearts content, and ride the comfortable GO train home. Space on the train is limited, so register soon: Tourists (fast)Urban Rollers (moderate)

Swap those parts

Is your basement full of bicycle parts you'll probably never use? Is there something you want, but can't quite afford to buy? New TBN partner store Fix Coffee + Bikes is holding a parts swap at their Gladstone Avenue home on Saturday August 13, with free tea or (drip) coffee for all participants. Drop by and take a look. You may find something you really want (or perhaps even something you actually need).

As always, check the website for details of all the rides and other events that are coming up, and remember to check back a couple of hours before a ride in case it's changed or cancelled because of poor weather, or other factors beyond our control.

Reminders:

Deals and special offers on bike stuff, tours, rides, and so on

TBN partners offer great deals for our members. One special feature this summer is a deal with Avenue Road bike store KindHuman for special prices on their Bont bicycle shoes. There's a limited selection of shoes at special prices for TBN members -- you must mention this email to get the discount.

TBN discounts are also available at numerous bike stores, special bike tours outside Ontario, charity ride registration, and much more. Please support TBN's great partners. There are so many new businesses out there that its tough to keep up and so If someone can help to keep this list up to date, please contact publicity@tbn.ca.

Remember you must present your valid TBN membership card for a discount at at any TBN discount partner.

Volunteers of the year

TBN wouldn't exist without its volunteers, and we want to be sure that we're not missing any of them when it comes to our thank you messages for the year. So now's the time to put forward any groups or individuals as our Volunteers of the Year, a nomination that the board will consider in the fall season. Please email Ian Rankin at president@tbn.ca with your suggestions. We will present our award(s) at a volunteers' party in the fall -- there is no task or individual too small to be considered.

TBN has an iPhone app

TBN has a brand new iPhone app, so you can see with a single click what rides are coming up with a single click. Just open up the AppStore and look for "Toronto Bicycling Network." We'll have an Android app soon as well, but for now if you don't have an iPhone, please bookmark our mobile friendly site -- you can reach the mobile site on http://www.tbnapplications.com/mobile/events.php

RWGPS

1. You must be a member of the club account at RWGPS to take advantage of some of the features outlined below. First, create your own personal account (either a free one, or a paid one) and then go to the club page (https://ridewithgps.com/clubs/27-toronto-bicycling-network), and submit a request to join. Membership gives you access to 300+ club rides, and you can filter those down to find the ride you want.

2. Check this comprehensive summary of how to use the TBN account on RWGPS to load a map and route onto your Garmin or to generate a printable map and cue sheet. As mentioned above, you must be a member of the club account at RWGPS to use these facilities.

3. Visit YouTube for an instructional video on how to create and print a customized map and cue sheet using TBN's RideWithGPS account.

4. And check out this video for details on how to load a TBN ride onto your smartphone -- a useful tool for people who don't own a separate GPS device.

Remember to visit the TBN calendar of events to find out more about what's coming up. That little TTC logo below will help alert you to any subway closures, of which there may be many in 2017.